Orion Photo Group Success Story Podcast
Orion Photo Group Success Story Podcast
Insider Tips for Stunning Wedding Reception Photography
Ever wanted the inside scoop on creating stunning wedding reception photos? We've got you covered. Unlock the secrets to captivating imagery and discover how meticulous pre-reception preparation, a detailed game plan, and a keen eye for multiple angles can transform your wedding photography. Hear our expert tips on off-camera lighting, safety protocols, and the art of capturing reaction shots that truly encapsulate the magic of the moment.
This episode is more than just a how-to guide; it's a treasure chest of insights designed to elevate your photography skills to new heights. We delve into the subtleties of lighting, offer advice on how to adapt to varying atmospheres, and emphasize the importance of overshooting to ensure you've captured the perfect shot. Whether you're a seasoned pro or a budding amateur, our conversation promises to leave you enriched and inspired. And remember, if you have your own tips or tricks to share, we're all ears at Jgroup@Orionphotogroup.com. Join us in this exciting journey of the art of wedding reception photography, and let's create beautiful memories together.
Hey there, welcome to OPG's Tips and Tricks. Here I'm going to share some quick tips and some tricks that I think you'll find very useful. Let's get right to it, hey folks. Welcome back to OPG Tips and Tricks, and we're going to keep uncovering my secrets maybe they're your secrets, the little tips and tricks that'll help you. What I'm really hoping is that you guys listen to this, maybe before you go out on your way to a wedding or just looking for some inspiration. Most of these are not really earth-shattering, but sometimes there's little nuggets that you might get out of these and I think they might be helpful.
Speaker 1:Okay, so today, how to capture the reception as a wedding photographer, the reception is, I think, one of the harderreception is easy. Okay, it's a script, right. Maybe they come in, they dance, they have some toasts, they eat Doesn't really change all that much. How you capture the reception is what can really set you apart from other wedding photographers, and it can also be really boring time as well. Much of the reception is downtime and you're trying to keep busy and it's a lot of hurry up and wait and then wait and hurry up, kind of like that, and the trick is just not to miss anything but during the down times is when you can get your most creative shots and can really make a difference in your portfolio and servicing your clients in a way that really makes them happy. So, first things first, obviously preparation for before a reception is key and how you want to capture it. Sometimes I'll take some notes. Well, let's actually back up. Okay, so reception in general right, they're going to be in the cocktail hour before they usually enter the reception. First thing first is just go in and check out the reception area and where they're going to be sitting, taking any detail shots. This is usually the time when I figure out how I'm going to, what my strategy is in capturing the wedding day, the wedding reception area in and of itself. So walk in during cocktail hour.
Speaker 1:You're doing detail shots and getting unique In any way that you can Remember. These people have spent a lot of time planning how that reception area looks, whether it be the bouquets on the table, the centerpieces, how the flatwares laid out, candle lighting, up, lighting All of this stuff is taking painstaking time in figuring out how they want their reception area to look. So you want to capture those details Wide shots, close-up shots, any kind of details. Remember, you can overshoot the crap out of it and you can edit it out. If it's your own wedding or, obviously, shooting with us, you don't have to worry about it. So overshooting is always my first tactic in capturing reception area. Many times you don't have a lot of time, so you're working very, very quickly. If you were shooting family pictures and bridal party pictures, generally you're only getting about 10-15 minutes. So a good game plan is the way to go into it, and knowing anything about the reception area is crucial. You can do that in your pre, in your appointment with your clients before the wedding day. Ask them if there are any details that you want shot. That will give you a lot of ideas on how you want to do it.
Speaker 1:You want to take note of potential areas for moments like the grand entrance, the speeches and the first dance. Understanding the space as far as how high are the ceilings? How are your flashes going to work? Is it dark? Is it bright? Will it be sun on them when they walk in the rooms? All those things are really important in thinking about it and how you're going to light that day. Can you use available light all day? Will you need a lot of flashes. Do you need to set up off-camera lighting and stuff like that? And then the atmosphere of how you want to capture that. You could have a room that is really brightly lit and you really want to feature that, so you may not want to use a lot of flash. You could also have a very dark room with a lot of uplighting and pin lights. You want to capture that as well. So if you overpower it with flash, that's not something you're going to want to do. So taking a little bit of time to, if you're using off-camera lighting, dialing it in so that it's the right amount of light, making sure that it's not going to be in an area where people are going to trip on it, taping down anything that you need to do, whether it be the stands, or if you're using something that needs to be plugged in, which isn't that often these days making sure that your cords are taped down. And then you want to think about where you're going to stand for toast shots and you know any places that you can go where you can move your lights to get good shots.
Speaker 1:And then I always think about any kind of reception shots in different multiples. So when they're walking in the room and they're introducing the bridal party, let's say, or the family, let's say. I want to get a close-up shot of them coming in, but I also want to get a wide shot as well. That's always a great time to get shots of, you know, reaction shots of other people in the receptions. Quite often we'll shoot a couple walking into the room, bride and groom walking into, or a couple walking into the room and we forget about everybody else in the room. So we're capturing that moment. But what if you just change your angle a little bit and you're getting them walking into the room with the entire room in the background and you're getting people freaking out and clapping and happy that's what they want to see. So maybe you're shooting them coming into the room immediately, but then you're walking around behind them and getting a back shot from the back with all, with all the family and friends Clapping and cheering for them. So you know, close, wide, middle ground. You know those are the things that you, that you want to do.
Speaker 1:Quite often I would shoot with two cameras a wide-angle lens and, you know, 50 or something like that. That's it's gonna get kind of a mid-range shot and then, if you're working with a second photographer. This is a great opportunity to discuss your game plan as well. Maybe they're doing close-up shots, maybe they're doing just the wide shots, and then you have to choreograph that with your videographer as well If there's one there, I've, so you're not in each other shots. Say to them, hey, I'm gonna get it, get in close, I'm gonna get a shot of them coming into the room and then I'm gonna turn around and I'm gonna come behind them. Please don't be in my shot.
Speaker 1:I really like to get the couples or just follow my lead and follow me and and we can work together and and like that. That's gonna really help get the joy, the laughter, the heartfelt interactions and those candid shots that they're really, really looking for In A dust. In addition to that I Usually like to get now. You know we talked about details in the beginning of this. Anytime you can get details of With, with, with the couples in Everybody in the shot is a really great thing to do as well. So sometimes I'll grab shots of Everybody eating dinner from a unique perspective where you can get all of that Uplighting and the atmosphere that they've created. Maybe when people are dancing, a really wide shot of the room Is really helpful. They want to remember this day from close and from middle ground and from really far away as well, and anything you can do to create that mood and atmosphere, they're really going to appreciate that.
Speaker 1:So again, using as much ambient light as I can, sometimes mixing it with off-camera lighting I really do believe in off-camera lighting in reception areas. Just two lights on stands, it's, even if you're just pointing them into the ceiling and they're providing just a little bit more light to fill up the room, but doing it in a way that's not overpowering the room, because that can get really ugly as well, and then just moving those lights around for when I need them. If you're doing table shots, that's a good thing to use as well, and Table shots meaning table pictures with people in it. Nobody likes doing them, but sometimes they'll ask you to do a couple of table shots and it's nice to get good lighting on them other than just an on-camera flash, which can be pretty ugly. So you know that that's pretty much it a good game plan.
Speaker 1:Many times you can go on if you can't visit the site. If it's the first time that you're being there as a new photographer, it's really great to visit a venue beforehand. It depends on the catering hall. Sometimes they're not friendly about that. Go on their website. Look at pictures of other wedding photographers. Do Google search. You're gonna find people of SEO that and you can see what other photographers have done and and maybe you can get some inspiration from that. Don't copy and just use it as your own inspiration and you know that's a really great way to get to make sure that you're prepared. Do I need off-camera lighting? Can I just use on-camera lighting? Oh, look at that. The Sun is gonna be blaring in on them when they come into the room. I need to be prepared for that as well.
Speaker 1:So again, reception shots are often a place where we Can get a little lazy. We've been working for six, seven hours. We're sometimes six, seven hours at that point, or four or five hours at that point. We've gone to the brides house or the couples house, we've done pictures there, and now we went to the, the, the church or wherever the ceremony is, and then we've moved to the reception and we're exhausted. At that point. Maybe we haven't eaten. We still have to do family pictures. This is the time where we really got to buck up and get through it, and this is where you know the pros are separated from the amateurs, so I hope that helps.
Speaker 1:If you've got some tips and tricks on this, I'd love to hear them and Come on our show and we love to hear it. Be safe out there. We'll talk to you soon. Hey, do you have a tip or trick you want to share with us? Please email me. Jgroup at Orion photo group calm. I would love to hear your tips or tricks and we'll even send you a nice little award for doing so. Until then, thank you.
